November 13, 2058 – Midnight
The roar of the larger evolved zombie echoed throughout the hill. Team Aegis stood behind their emergency barricade, their weapons nearly out of ammo. All eyes were fixed on the terrifying creature slowly approaching.
"Major, we don't have enough bullets to fight that," Cong whispered, his voice filled with unease.
Pan nodded slowly, his eyes still locked on the creature. "We have to hold out. Find a way to slow them down. We just need to buy time until morning."
"Will morning make them go away?" Elis asked quietly, her body trembling beside Dail.
Dail tried to calm the girl, though he too seemed anxious. "We'll find a way, Elis. Trust us."
The Attack Begins
The large zombie paused for a moment, watching Team Aegis like a predator studying its prey. Behind it, a horde of ordinary zombies began emerging, filling the hillside.
Rico aimed his rifle at the large zombie. "If we don't attack now, they'll tear down our barricade."
"No," Pan said firmly. "We need a plan. Rico, Cong, prioritize the ordinary zombies. We can't let them get close. Alaric, Hart, find a weakness in that creature. Anything we can use."
Cong and Rico immediately began shooting at the ordinary zombies, creating some space around the barricade. However, the large zombie seemed unaffected by the bullets hitting its body.
"This is like a walking tank," Rico muttered in frustration.
The Hidden Weakness
Amid the chaos, Alaric observed the large zombie carefully. He noted its slow but powerful movements, and how it seemed to protect certain parts of its body.
"Hart, do you see that?" Alaric asked, pointing to a section of the creature's neck that appeared more vulnerable.
Hart nodded. "Yeah, there's a gap there. But we need something strong enough to destroy it."
"Grenade," Alaric said. "If we can make it stagger, we have a chance."
Pan overheard their conversation and made a quick decision. "Cong, Rico, focus fire on its legs. We need to bring it down."
Intense Battle
Cong and Rico followed Pan's orders, shooting at the creature's legs with precision. The large zombie began to stagger, but still didn't fall. With one last effort, Rico grabbed the remaining grenade and threw it at the creature's legs.
The large explosion shook the area, causing the large zombie to lose its balance and fall hard. Pan immediately signaled to Hart and Alaric.
"Now! Attack the neck!"
Hart quickly grabbed one of the sharp weapons they had found in Zone Beta earlier and thrust it into the gap in the large zombie's neck. The creature let out one final, chilling roar before falling silent.
Temporary Calm
After the battle ended, the atmosphere on the hill became silent. Team Aegis sat behind their barricade, gasping for breath. Elis hugged Dail tightly, while the others tried to recover.
"What was that?" Cong asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Alaric sighed. "That wasn't just any zombie. It was a product of Dominion's experiments. They were trying to create more advanced biological weapons."
"And they succeeded," Pan murmured. "But that means we have to move faster. If they have more creatures like that, we won't last long."
Rico stared at their dwindling ammo supply. "We need to find more supplies. If not, this journey will end before we reach Zone Omega."
Pan nodded. "We move at dawn. Until then, we stay on guard."
A New Hope
While everyone rested, Alaric examined the data they had managed to bring from Zone Beta. He found something interesting: additional coordinates leading to a small facility between Zone Beta and Zone Omega.
"Major, I found something," Alaric said, showing the data to Pan. "There's a chance this facility has the supplies we need."
Pan examined the data carefully. "Then that's our next destination. We can't keep going like this without extra supplies."
With new hope and renewed determination, Team Aegis prepared for their next journey, even as greater threats continued to await them ahead.